Main navigation

FAQ About Veganism

I think it took me a few years to realize that FAQ stood for “Frequently Asked Questions”…I always just thought it was a cute and polite way of spelling the other F word. Hey, it made sense to me that when you click on it you got helpful answers! haha.

Anyways, here we go, here are some FAQ’s but if you have more questions, feel free to ask away in the comments below!

ABOUT VEGANISM

What is a vegan?

The term vegan refers to people who don’t eat or use any animal products. A vegan doesn’t eat meat, seafood, eggs, or dairy and they don’t use or buy any animal products, including anything tested on animals, leather, fur, silk, wool, etc.

How is that different from vegetarian?

Vegetarians don’t eat meat or seafood, but they usually do eat eggs and dairy. Some vegetarians avoid leather and fur, and others don’t.

So what do vegans eat?

Plants! Grains, beans, legumes, fruit, and veggies. That may seem boring if this is new to you, but check out my recipe page here, and you will see that there is no limit to creating awesome and satisfying meals.

Veganism is so extreme!

A vegan is someone who has the nutty idea that hurting animals is bad. I know, we’re so extreme like that. 😉

While cutting out all animal products may seem extreme to someone who is new to the idea, it’s actually really easy (and delicious). There are endless varieties of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seed, and even more ways to prepare them. Every dish can be veganized, and probably already has been. I actually eat a much more varied diet since going vegan, than I ever did as a meat eater.

Not only are you gaining the benefit of not causing harm to animals, a healthy vegan diet is way better for your health and the environment. It’s really win, win, win.

What about gluten?

I get asked this often. Vegans can totally eat gluten! Some people don’t eat gluten if they are gluten intolerant, but eating or not eating gluten has nothing to do with a vegan diet.

Why do people go vegan?

Lots of different reasons including animal cruelty, religion, environmental, weight loss, health, allergies, to help feed the world, to annoy people (that one is a joke), or a combination of these.

Where do vegans get their protein?

Protein is found in all whole plant based foods. Let me say that again so you really hear it, protein is found in all whole plant foods. So yes, beans and nuts have protein, but so does fruit, veggies, grains, and seeds.

Greens like spinach, kale, peas and broccoli, have somewhere around 20-30% protein, even rice has 8% protein. You only need 8%-10% of your diet to be protein, so as long as you eat a varied diet, you will easily get all the protein that you need. In fact, the average vegan gets about 70% more protein than they even need in a day! Don’t believe me? Watch this.

Where do vegans get their Calcium?

Let’s take a step back here, what are iron and calcium? They are minerals. And where are minerals found? Minerals are found in the soil where plants absorb it. The only reason animals (such as cows) have high quantities of calcium in their bodies is because they eat plants that grow out of the soil, such as grass. So by eating leafy greens and veggies that grow in soil, we can skip the cow and go directly to the source!

Just like protein, plant based foods are loaded with all the calcium you will need. Greens like kale, collards, broccoli, have a lot, and so do foods like nuts, beans, molasses (who knew, right!?), figs, dates, tempeh, fortified non-dairy milks and orange juices. As long as you eat a diet full of varied whole plant foods, you will easily get all the calcium you need.

Sure, dairy often contains more calcium than veggies, but plant based calcium is absorbed into the body a whole lot better. Not only that but it comes along with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, instead of dairy calcium which comes along with saturated fat and pus. Don’t believe me? Watch this.

Where do vegans get their iron?

I think you are starting to get the hang of things by now, you guessed it, whole plant foods. In fact, the average vegetarian gets more iron than the average meat eater! Don’t believe me? Watch this.

What about B12?

B12 is a bacteria based vitamin, not meat based. Animals don’t make it and neither do plants. Microbes make it! B12 can be found in soil, water, and feces (ew), but since we wash our produce so heavily, filter our water, and (I hope) don’t eat feces, we often remove a lot of this bacteria from our foods. Just like us, animals need to get B12 in their diets too. In the wild, the animals get it from those natural sources. In animal agriculture, the animals are often supplemented with it. Drinking unfiltered water can carry many diseases, so the healthiest, safest, and most effective source of B12 are supplements. Lots of vegan foods are fortified with B12 such as nutritional yeast and non-dairy milks, but just to make sure it’s a good idea to supplement. You need 2,500 mcg a week. You can either take that once a week, or divide it in smaller doses everyday. You can buy vegan B12 supplements on Amazon here.

How does going vegan help my health?

Animal protein is actually quite toxic for your health, it increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers. To learn more about this I highly recommend watching the film Forks Over Knives which can be found on Netflix.

How does going vegan help the animals?

The simple answer, by not causing their pain, suffering and death. Think the meat industry is a cruelty free place, or that meat can be ethical? Think again and watch the documentary Earthlings on YouTube.

How does going vegan help the environment?

“Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, and is a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean “dead zones,” and virtually every other environmental ill.”

One hamburger uses the same amount of water as showering for two months!

Learn more by watching the documentary Cowspiracy which can be found on Netflix.

Hi, I am considering becoming vegan. At the moment I do eat fish and chicken. My dairy intake comes from soy/almond milk or yogurt. I live in the Netherlands where the main meal is meat and potatoes. So going vegan is a challenge. My husbands family are all cow & pig farmers and are convinced that if you are not eating meat you are not eating a balanced diet.

Hi Margaret! Congrats on becoming vegan! You are not alone, I grew up in a very meat focused environment as well, you can read my story here. I recommend checking out the documentaries What the Health, and Forks Over Knives which both talk about the health impacts of eating animal products. They are both on Netflix if you have that. Maybe if your family watches these they will be more supportive. Hope that helps!

My other problem is that my husband and one of my daughters are meat eaters. My other daughter does it fish occasionally. But not meat. Becoming vegan at my house would mean making 3 different meals. My husband would go crazy with all the extra stuff I would need to buy. We also go out to eat. That would also be a problem.

My best friend is vegan, but her husband and daughter are not. What she does is make a vegan meal, and then just adds chicken (or whatever meat) for them. No need to make 3 separate meals 🙂 For eating out, check out my guide on How to Eat Vegan at Any Restaurant (and not order salad).

Hi Sam. I just came across your site. Congratulations on your cookbook! My phone alerted me to a wonderful fudgesicle recipe of yours I am going to try asap! I am 55 and have been a strict vegan for many years and prior to that, a vegetarian for even longer so this is all old hat for me, so to speak. As I haven’t had time yet to navigate everywhere on your site, you may have mentioned this somewhere so forgive the question… As I watched your video on cookies, I wondered, because you still use traditional processed sugars, have you checked on their source? You never mentioned in your video if you use vegan white and brown sugars? Just curious. Many thanks! Cheryl

Hi Cheryl, Welcome to my blog 🙂 Using bone char to refine sugar isn’t very common anywhere other than the US as far as I know, but I do check the sugar I buy to make sure. The standard brand I use here in Canada is Redpath and they say on their site that the sugar is indeed vegan friendly 🙂 I hope you enjoy the fudgesicles!

I wanna say thank you for replying back. I have few more question. I haven’t ate meat in 8 months because I’m trying get healthy. I wanna make sure I’m getting all my nourishing. Do you watch portions size? Is tofu process food? Can you give me some examples when comes to vegan process food out there? Because there so many vegan food out there. Even say non gmo.

Congrats on 8 months meat free Margaret 🙂 I don’t watch portion size, unless I’m eating something I know is bad for me, like cookies. They are my weakness. Haha. Processed food is anything that comes with a label on it. A whole food is a plant, such as fruit or veggies. Now some foods are more or less processed. Tofu is only minimally processed and is still considered healthy. Whereas if you buy Oreos, for example, those would probably have loads of ingredients, and chemicals added to them, and would be a very processed food. I highly recommend watching the documentaries Forks Over Knives, and Eating You Alive. I also highly recommend the book Eat to Live which should help guide you in what to eat. I am actually working on an article on how to be a healthy vegan right now which should be published in the next few weeks. Hope that helps!

Just watched Forks over Knives and am hooked. My daughter has been on again off again vegan for about a year now. More off again as she was 17 and still at home so not in control of everything…..she bought the Forks over Knives cookbook awhile back and I am excited to dust it off (Never opened….I know my bad!!!!) and dig in. I am just overwhelmed with meal planning. I told my husband at lunch that we were going to jump in and he’s onboard. My daughter and I are ……obese (hate to say that outloud) but the truth hurts. Not to mention that he is diabetic, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc……. We are all the poster children for this journey! Guess we have to admit our deficiencies before we can succeed right? Any way, thanks for letting me share! I’m looking forward to the journey. Any pep talks will be welcomed 🙂

Haha! I love it! Let’s see if he will notice the food is vegan, and if he does, what he thinks about it. Yes it’s truly horrific the way we treat the animals we eat, and unfortunately, most people are completely unaware of it. Congrats on your new decision to becoming vegan! Let me know if you ever have any questions or need any support 🙂

Hey Sam! Love your blog, love your recipes! Have a question that I haven’t found answered yet (it’s probably somewhere here I just haven’t found it….) How did you come up with the name “It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken”?

Haha! I don’t think anyone has asked me that before actually! Well, I knew I wanted to write a vegan recipe blog, and I knew I was going to be my usual goofy self. Saying a food “tastes like chicken” is a really common kind of comical way of describing (usually boring) food. As a vegan I knew my food would be neither boring or actually taste like chicken! So calling my blog It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken was my little joke 😉

I’m a vegan, and I’ve been starting to question this lifestyle, and it makes me sad. I dont want to use animals, but I’ve been reading alot about nutrition and somehow my strong belief in veganism is weakened. I feel like a stupid girl with too much emotion for other animals. I dont think its natural to breed and use animals for food, but why do we have to be so careful about what we eat to get enough nutrients? Or is this just a lie. I dont find taking supplements natural, therefore veganism isnt natural. Neither is breeding animals. Overall im freaking out. Is veganism all a lie? Do you know if there are many vegans with nutrient deficency? And have you had any problems with it yourself, or have you ever been questioning this?

Hi Anne, Actually, I originally went vegan for the health benefits. I don’t know where you are getting your nutrition info from, but I can tell you that a whole-food plant based diet is THE healthiest diet there is! If you are eating an abundance of whole plant foods you don’t need to take any supplements at all, with the exception of maybe B12 (please read above). If you prefer not to take B12 supplements just make sure you are eating lost of B12 fortified foods such as nutritional yeast and non-dairy milks. I highly, highly recommend watching the documentary Forks Over Knives which can be found on Netflix. Also, read my answers to the nutritions questions above, and check out this video from NutritionFacts.org (a fantastic resource for any nutrition questions). Since going vegan over 3 years ago I have never felt or been healthier in my life! Please let me know if you have any other questions, and I am so glad my blog is helping you out 🙂

Hi Sam! I just wanted to say how much I ADORE your blog. I can honestly say I’ve never followed a blog like I have yours! I often find that recipes I google on’t quite turn out, or have way too many steps and crazy ingredients and I find myself simplifying them drastically – I’m looking for stuff to cook day to day, not spend hours preparing for one meal, y’know? Your recipes are so perfect, fast, easy, simple- and SOOO good!!!!! ^_^

I was Vegan for a few years in high school, went through some huge life changes and fell out of it due to necessity. Now, 8 years later I’m happy to say I’m actually sticking with it again! Your recipes have been a huge help:) Your smoked apple veggie burgers were unreal, but next I’m going to try your mushroom and coconut milk pizza. I love cooking and your blog gets me so inspired! Your recipes always turn out, so I know you must have spent a lot of time perfecting them.

Oh, and it’s so refreshing to read your personal views on a plant based/vegan diet. I like that you’re not going to throw away your beautiful antique leather chair just because it’s made with leather – that would be so wasteful! To each their own, you have to do what’s right for you. But I believe that you have to allow yourself to be human, to be kind to yourself and others. No one is perfect and sometimes we are gonna make mistakes. 99% of us weren’t born vegan and there are a lot of steps if you want to change your entire lifestyle as well as your diet, and it’s only fair to allow yourself that transition.

Our ideals are very similar, and I find that worrying about bone charred sugar while eating out and such would make life very unpractical. My only struggle is that I am a brewer involved in a fast-growing and successful craft brewery in British Columbia, and as you may know, 99% of beer is made with isinglass, or dried fish swim bladder, and has been for hundreds of years to “refine” or “filter” the beer without destroying it (it clumps to all the nasty yeast and such that tastes terrible and makes it drop out). We have tried the plant based alternatives and they ruined those batches of beer, sadly. I won’t call myself a vegan, since I drink a lot of beer, but I still feel that I eat a plant-based diet, and honestly, I’m absolutely okay with that.

You are making a huge difference, and inspiring and leading by example – showing that a plant-based diet is easy, fun, delicious, and that yes – you can still go out with your friends! All my omnivore friends, including my husband, love your recipes, and even he has pretty much stopped eating meat and dairy just because it’s not really around our house anymore, he doesn’t crave it or want it, and MOSTLY because your food is BOMB AF. Thanks girl!!!!

Hi Angelea! Wow!!!! Such a lovely message, thank you so much, I’m so flattered. You make me blush woman! Haha. So very happy you are loving my recipes, and that you are sticking with veganism! Woot woot! Congrats. Funnily enough, I don’t have that leather chair anymore, I gave it to my parents. I do still have some non-vegan items in my house, but I am now totally vegan in the sense that everything I purchase or consume is vegan and cruelty free. The only non-vegan things I own are those that I purchased prior to going vegan. So it’s kinda neat to look at this page again and realize how much I have grown since last updating it. The saying rings true: you tend to become more vegan over time. We are all on our own path, and that is super great! I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself about the isinglass, no, it’s not vegan, but it’s not really the main problem when it comes to the fish industry. The Vegan Bros wrote a great article on it here (which stirred up a mountain of controversy). But in general, I’m in agreement with them, it’s way more important to focus on the big picture, and make veganism more approachable. You’re doing awesome, and I love so much that your husband is becoming closer to plant-based just because of delicious food! Thanks again for the lovely comment, it totally brightened my day!

Hey Sam, I have a couple of questions for you; apologies if you have already answered them here – perhaps you can point me to your answers on your website 🙂

First, when you are buying groceries and come across a product that has no animal-derived ingredients but is manufactured in a facility/on equipment that uses milk, eggs… do you still buy it? Or do you only buy certified vegan products?

Second, how do you navigate ‘sugar’ when you come across it in an ingredient list? Do you buy the product? I read that bone char is used in the refining process of some sugar brands. Perhaps you call the company to be sure that its vegan?

Hi kbell, Welcome! Great questions. Both of these answers will depend upon the individual and their preferences, so these are just my opinions. For the products that were manufactured in a facility that uses animal products, this is seen on the packaging when it reads “may contain …”. This is generally just a legal thing so they can’t get sued by someone with sever allergies. In my opinion, as long as the ingredients are vegan, I am happy with it. There are very few completely vegan facilities, and to limit all products that are made in these facilities would mean you wouldn’t be able to eat so many more products. Which is not only more difficult for you, but makes veganism appear more difficult to others. I’m all about making veganism easy and doable for everyone! For the sugar. Personally, I buy bone char free sugar for baking and such, (I just went to the website for the common sugar brands here to see which ones were vegan friendly). As far as products containing sugar, or eating out at restaurants I don’t worry about the sugar in this case. The minor amounts of animal products that may be in the foods this way are just not worth the worry for me. I still need to be able to eat out with friends, and I feel that if I got this specific, it would be very difficult. I like to live by the definition of veganism by Donald Watson: “Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.” http://www.vegansociety.com/sites/default/files/uploads/Ripened%20by%20human%20determination.pdf So for me, worrying about these trace amounts of animals products is just not practicable for my lifestyle. Unfortunately, in today’s animal product based world, it’s basically impossible to be vegan in every way, so I just do the best that I can. Everybody’s definition of what that is will be slightly different, and that’s a-ok because we are all making a difference in this world. Hope that helps! 🙂

Hi Sam! I just want you to know that I have always been an animal lover, and I’ve been eating organic all of my life, however I never imagined I would transition to eating a vegan diet. Not long ago, a friend of mine peaked my interest into veganism, and I decided to go for a “one week trial” of eating vegan this past week. I stumbled upon your blog a few days ago and I just want to thank you so much!!! You are truly my vegan inspiration, and I cannot wait to make all of your recipes! Needless to say I am choosing to continue this healthy eating lifestyle.

As I have been doing my research, I have been finding many sites that say vegans need outside sources of vitamin B12. How do you choose to get vitamin B12 and what do you recommend I should do?

Hi Taylor! A big welcome to your new vegan lifestyle!! Thank you so so much! Your comment totally made my day 🙂 B12, as you may have learned is a bacteria based vitamin, not meat based. The only reason meat eaters tend to get more B12 is because bacteria loves dead flesh. Gross, but totally true. B12 can be found in soil, but since we wash our produce so heavily, we often wash off a lot of this bacteria which is why vegans should supplement it. Lots of vegan foods are fortified with it such as nutritional yeast and non-dairy milks, but just to make sure it’s a good idea to supplement. You need 2,500 msg a week. You can either take that once a week, or divide it in smaller doses everyday. I don’t have a preferred brand, usually whichever one is vegan and on sale. You can read more about B12 here. NutritionFacts.org is an awesome place to get nutrition information. So happy to have you visit my blog, and please let me know if you have any more questions. I’m here to help! All the best, Sam

Hi Sam!!! Your dad dug you out while you were blogging??? How cool is that….nice dad! Where on planet Earth do you live…(I live in Vermont and we are also getting tons of snow, but not as badly as other places). I am terribly curious!

Hi Connie, yes he did! He had a tractor tho, so that makes it a bit easier. Nice dad indeed! I live in Toronto, Canada. Still lots of snow to come, but looking very forward to spring! You stay warm and dry too 🙂

Hello Sam! I found your website recently (and got a little obsessed) and I’ve been tryng out a lot of your recipes. I’m already a vegetarian but you have so many tasty recipes here, and as I wanted to be healthier, I have been considering going vegan, and so I’ve been trying to cook vegan meals. But after trying a few recipes I think I can say I am not a fan of nutritional yeast >< Did you like them at first or did it take you a while to get to like them (can I ask?) ? Well my big question was do you know other ingrediants that can be used instead of nutrition yeast? Thank you so much for reading this!

Hi Eluned, Aww shucks, thanks for liking my site so much! You can ask anything you like! I’m here to help. I actually didn’t like nutritional yeast at first. Not at all. Then all of a sudden I became obsessed and now I love it on everything. I even sprinkle large amounts of it over popcorn all the time. Yum! I heard somewhere that it takes 11 tries of something to learn if you actually like it… I have no idea if that’s true. Anyways, nutritional yeast is mainly used as just a flavouring, so in general you could just skip it. Easy peasy. If there is a larger amount in a recipe, or if you are unsure, you can always leave a comment on that recipe. I do my best to answer all comments as quickly as possible (usually within 24 hours). Hope that helps! 🙂

Hi Sam – hehe you’re really welcome! Well there are just so many yummy recipes on your site it’s hard not to get excited. Your spicy lentil tacos are my new favourite – even my mum is in love with them and she’s a hardcore meat eater (although I put feta cheese on her tacos). I’ve heard something similar so I wanted to persevere and try it a few more times but I was really struggling with the flavour. Thank you so mcuh for replying and so quikcly!

That’s great! I love presenting the people who think a meal isn’t a meal without animal meat on the plate, then convincing them otherwise, with delicious, hearty, vegan meals. Everyone likes delicious food! No problem at all. I’m glad you are enjoying the recipes. 🙂

Hi I am 16 and I recently became vegan. I have a bunch of questions because I’m new to all this, please answer as many as you can. Thank you! What are some good vegan options for packing lunches? What are some quick vegan meals to prepare? Are there any books to read that can give me tips on getting enough of the vitamins I need? And what can I tell my mom to get her to believe that I can get enough vitamins with out dairy? What foods are best to get enough calcium? And what foods have probiotics other than yogurt for if I have to go on antibiotics? Sorry to ask so many questions…

I think dairy is one of the worst things people put in their body. I am guessing your mom is worried that you won’t get enough calcium? Well think of it this way, what is calcium? It’s a mineral, right. Where are minerals found? The earth. So where do cows get their calcium from? Eating grass. Although these days about 75% or more cows are corn fed, not grass fed, so in order for them to get the calcium they need their feed is fortified! So when you are getting calcium from cows milk, you are getting it filtered through the cow. Why not get it directly from the source? The vegetables that grow in the ground. Leafy greens are the best source. Not only will you be getting calcium directly from the source but you will be skipping the cholesterol, saturated, and the casein (milk protein), which Dr. Colin Campbell’s research has shown is one of the worst carcinogens we consume. You will learn all about this in detail in the books and movies I recommended above. Best foods for calcium: leafy greens! Eat a salad everyday and you get more than enough. Broccoli, collards, bok choy, spinach, and kale are all great sources. Also fortified non-dairy milks.

For probiotics, you can actually buy vegan yogurts. Instead of cows milk they are made from soy milk, almond milk, and coconut milk. Some brands are So Delicious, Amande Cultured, and Silk. You should be able to find these in your regular grocery store either with the cows milk yogurts, or in the health food section, but if not, in a health food store for sure. You can also get probiotics from sauerkraut, kombucha (a fermented tea… it taste better than it sounds), miso, or vegan probiotic supplements.

Maybe your mom could listen to these with you, as well as watch the movies and read the books! It’s great that she is concerned for your health, but the best part is; a whole food plant based diet is the healthiest diet! I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Recipe Rating

Primary Sidebar

Search this website

How’s this for awesome?

Get a vegan bacon cookbook sent to you for free!

E-Mail Address

Hello!

I'm Sam, welcome to my blog! Here you'll find my favourite easy vegan recipes. I went from carnivore to vegan overnight and with limitation came inspiration and it wasn't long before I fell in LOVE with vegan food. Here's my story →

Footer

Stay Connected

Copyright

I love when you share! All of the images and text on this site is the property of It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken. Feel free to share photos and quotes with a link back to my original post. Do not share entire recipes, large bodies of text, or edit my photos in anyway without first obtaining permission from me. Social media shares are always welcome. Thank you!

Affiliate Link Disclosure

On this site, I sometimes use affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken would receive a small cut, at no cost to you. This helps support the work I do here. Thank you! :)